The present invention relates to an electrical connector in which contacts are accommodated in accommodating cavities provided in the housing.
Japanese Laid-open (unexamined) Patent Publication No. Hei 9(1997)-102,348 discloses an electrical connector having female-molded contacts (socket contacts) molded of thin metal sheets and an integrally molded housing having accommodating cavities for the socket contacts. Each socket contact is provided, on its surfaces, with a retaining portion projected out therefrom, and the housing is provided with a retaining portion, which is called a lance, extending toward the inside of the cavity. The two retaining portions do not form any obstacle when the socket contact is in the middle of being accommodated in the cavity. However, when the socket contact comes to a predetermined position in the cavity, the retaining portions are put into positions where they confront each other with respect to the direction for them to be removed from the cavity. Thus, once the socket contact is accommodated in the cavity, it comes to be difficult to take out the socket from the cavity.
In recent years, a low-profile and small-size electrical connector for use in small size electrical equipment or small size electrical equipment, such as personal digital assistants, is being increasingly demanded. When the housing of the electrical connector described in the publication cited above is integrally molded of resin by the molding process, such as injection molding, there is a difficulty in reducing the thickness of the housing further, because the housing must have, at the retaining portions, minimum thickness required to ensure the prevention against the take-out of the socket contacts and also must have enough space for drawing a mold. One conceivable approach for designing a low-profile of the housing is that there are provided openings in the housing at places near the retaining portions projected toward the inside of the cavities, whereby the housing and thus the electrical connector are designed in a low profile, while ensuring the minimum thickness of the retaining portions required for the prevention against the take-out of the socket contact and mold drawing space.
However, when the openings are provided in the housing, the retaining portions of the socket contacts and their surroundings are put in the state of being exposed out through the openings. As a result, there are possibilities that accidental shorting of adjacent socket contacts may be caused by dusts and the like entering from the openings and that an operator may accidentally contact with the socket contact when a pin contact is plugged in or detached from the socket contact inserted in the housing.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an electrical connector that can be designed in a low profile, while ensuring the minimum thickness of the retaining portions of the housing required for the prevention against the take-out of the contact and mold drawing space, without providing any opening to expose the contacts in the housing.
An electrical connector of the present invention comprises a contact having a first retaining portion; and a housing having an accommodating cavity for accommodating the contact and a second retaining portion that confronts the first retaining portion in such a manner as to prevent the contact from moving in a direction for the contact to be taken out from the cavity when the contact is in the state of being accommodated in the cavity. The housing comprises a first member arranged at a side from which the contact is inserted in the cavity and provided with the second retaining portion; and a second member assembled to the first member so that the second retaining portion can be covered by the second member.
In the present invention, the first retaining portion may be a projection provided on a surface of the contact, and the second retaining portion may be a projection which is shifted to a position where the contact is allowed to move in a direction of being accommodated in the cavity by being pressed by the first retaining portion when the contact is on the way to being accommodated in the cavity and is resiliently returned to a position where the contact confronts the first retaining portion with respect to a direction of being taken out from the cavity when the contact reaches a predetermined position in the cavity.
In the present invention, a portion of the cavity of the second member corresponding to the portion to cover the second retaining portion is preferably larger in thickness than a portion of the same corresponding to the remaining portion.
The electrical connector of the present invention may have a single cavity and a single contact or it may have two or more accommodating cavities and two or more contacts, if needed. Any type of contacts, such as a socket contact and a pin contact, may be used as the contact accommodated in the cavity. The first retaining portion provided on the contact side may be constructed by a recessed portion or a hole formed in the contact, in addition to the projection extending out from the surface of the contact. The housing may be constructed by three or more members including an additional member, without limiting to the first and second members. Further, the first and second member may be fixedly coupled to each other by use of another member or adhesive or may alternatively be detachably assembled to each other by engaging.
Other and further objects, features and advantages of the invention will appear more fully from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.